I enjoy blueberries all year round, really. But they are so much better in the summer. I eat them nearly every morning on my cereal, oatmeal or yogurt. But I especially love to bake with them!
This is a really easy, flavorful pound cake. This sweet and tangy lemon pound cake is studded with fresh blueberries and made rich and moist with the addition of some creamy ricotta cheese. A drizzle of light lemony icing makes it the perfect summertime dessert.
The lemon is so fresh in this cake, that I kept the icing thin and to a minimum. But you can slather on as much as you’d like! And you know, when a cake like this is photographed, you often only see shots of the center cuts. Call me crazy but I’ll fight you for the end pieces!
This basic ricotta cheese pound cake is very versatile. Not a fan of lemon? (Okay, I don’t even know how that can be possible!) But I think fresh lime juice would pair well with the blueberries. Raspberries and blackberries would be great here, too!
And while I told you that this was the perfect light summer dessert, may I also stress that it’s the perfect light summer breakfast, too!
Was it a bad day or a bad five minutes that you milked all day?
- For the Cake:
- ¾ cup of granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1½ cups of fresh blueberries
- ½ cup of whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons of lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups of all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- For the Icing:
- 4 Tablespoons of packed confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper and spray the parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar & butter with an electric mixer on medium high speed until the mixture is creamy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until they are incorporated.
- Reduce the mixer to medium low and add the ricotta, lemon juice & zest, and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
- Sprinkle the flour on top of the batter, and then evenly sprinkle the baking powder and salt across the flour.
- Beat on low speed, until just about combined.
- Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until the cake begins to brown along the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, approximately 55-60 minutes.
- Let the cake cool on a metal rack for about 30 minutes.
- Then carefully run a knife along the edges to loosen the cake.
- Remove the cake from the pan but leave the parchment paper on the bottom of the cake, and set it right side up on the rack to cool completely before icing.
- When ready to ice, remove the parchment paper and set the cake on your serving dish.
- Mix the confectioners sugar together with the lemon juice until smooth.
- Brush the icing onto the cake and enjoy!
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I too love to bake with blueberries! This loaf cake looks bakery perfect!
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